403 Forbidden

Seattle’s port and industrial sector

Huge cranes load containers onto trains after they are brought by trucks from the Port of Seattle to the BNSF Railway Seattle International Gateway in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood. [Ellen Banner, The Seattle Times.]

What did we expect? After forever putting off long-promised and much-needed additional freight access in Sodo, the city of Seattle fell all over itself to grubstake a glitzy sports arena that would make freight mobility even worse. Customers go where they feel wanted, and the vibe from City Hall to the container trade is a collective cold shoulder.

Now, property owners along north Lake Union and Salmon Bay, where the commercial fishing industry is located, are angling to change the zoning to high-density residential. If granted, they can cash out to property developers, and retire to Hawaii.

Do we really need more high-rent condos and fewer paying jobs on that part of the lake?

None of the candidates have addressed the issue, but it is important to ask them: “Does your vision for the future include working docks, truck traffic and commercial waterfront paychecks as well as high-tech condos and bike lanes?”

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